In memoriam: Professor Philip Bonner

It is with great sadness that SAHA learnt, earlier this week, of the passing of Emeritus Professor Philip ('Phil') Bonner - a founding member of the History Workshop at the University of the Witwatersrand. Professor Phil Bonner was part of a cohort of young revisionist and Africanist scholars who challenged liberal orthodoxies in the academy and produced new histories that emphasised the experiences of the black majority. His involvement in the anti-apartheid struggle led to his detention and even threats of deportation.

Not only do we at SAHA remember Professor Phil Bonner for the leading role he played in the development of African history in general, but also specifically for the work he did with SAHA on the Sunday Times Heritage Project. The project, marking 100 years of publication of the Sunday Times, primarily involved the erection a trail of memorials across South Africa to commemorate some of the remarkable people and events that made history from 1906 - 2006. As part of this project SAHA hosted the SAHA/Sunday Times School Oral History Project in 2007, at which Professor Phil Bonner shared his wealth of knowledge on oral history education.

Professor Philip Bonner during the SAHA/Sunday Times School Oral History Project in 2007

Our condolences to his partner, family, friends, colleagues and comrades who are grieving an immense loss.